Mauricio Macri

Mauricio Macri (8 February 1959-) was President of Argentina from 10 December 2015 to 10 December 2019, succeeding Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and preceding Alberto Fernandez. He was the founder of the liberal-conservative Republican Proposal party and was the first democratically-elected non-Peronist or Radical President of Argentina since 1916.

Biography
Mauricio Macri was born in Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina on 8 February 1959 to a wealthy family; his father was an Italian construction magnate. He became president of the popular Boca Juniors football club in 1995, and he used his high profile to found the center-right Republican Proposal party in 2005. He served in the Chamber of Deputies from 2005 to 2007, as Chief of Government (Mayor) of Buenos Aires from 2007 to 2015, and, after defeating Front for Victory candidate Daniel Scioli with 51.34% of the vote, President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. Macri inherited economic difficulties such as high inflation and high tax rates from the previous populist governments of Nestor Kirchner and his wife Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, and he removed currency controls and removed export quotas shortly after entering office. Economic recovery was slow during his first year, forcing Macri to launch public works programs to stimulate the economy and the construction sector; he also maintained Nestor Kirchner's price control program. In 2016, his removal of energy subsidies led to widespread protests across the country, and he also made enemies with Peronist human rights groups who were insulted by his right-wing policies and his plan to make the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice a movable-date holiday. Feminist groups rallied in favor of an abortion bill which Macri and his party mostly opposed, and, while the bill passed through Congress, the Senate rejected the bill 38-31 due to increased opposition from conservative Catholics in rural areas. While Macri's administration was praised by President of the United States Barack Obama for creating sustainable and inclusive economic growth, Macri later aligned himself with Obama's right-wing populist successor Donald Trump, adopting immigration restrictions and facilitating the deportation of foreigners who committed crimes. He also abandoned the Kirchners' attempts at reconciliation with Iran, voiding the memorandum of understanding between Argentina and Iran and the promise of a joint investigation of the 1994 AMIA bombing, which was carried out by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists. In the 2017 legislative election, Macri's Cambiemos coalition picked up 19 seats, being the most voted force in 13 of Argentina's 24 districts. In 2016, he was implicated in the Panama Papers corruption scandal, damaging his reputation. In 2019, he became the first incumbent Argentina president to lose re-election for a second term, losing to Justicialist Party nominee Alberto Fernandez 40.28% to 48.24%.